Der Gnome Karneval

As October moves off the calendar to make way for November, the Belsnickel that led this year's Halloween Parade moves to center stage where it  foreshadows the arrival of winter and Christmas. But before we move on, let's remember what a wonderful parade it was!

by Luann Zambanini, Boyertown Area Historical Society

As the blankets and chairs lined the sidewalks of Boyertown and a beautiful rainbow graced the skies above, everyone was ready for der Gnome Karneval to begin. The Boyertown Area Historical Society took on the task of running the Boyertown Halloween Parade. With assistance from the Halloween Parade Committee of years past, the society brought to life the Halloween Parade for 2023.

The sidewalks were filled with kids of all sizes and ages holding buckets and bags hoping to find treasures of candy. Der Gnome Karneval started with a police escort followed by the old Belsnickel himself, tossing out coal (coal candy of course) to the children in the crowd that he thought were naughty this year. The old Belsnickel was followed by all the normal parade fun and fanfare. There were food vendors in several places and the food businesses in town were open to make sure no one went hungry while watching the parade. The parade included over 100 registrations which included floats, trucks, firetrucks, hearses, bands, organizations, along with some walkers for the crowds to enjoy. The winners will be announced shortly on our Facebook page.

The crowds were thought to be around 10,000 give or take a few hundred. This parade has been a staple in the community of Boyertown since 1912 and over the years the businesses of the community are always very supportive of the event and were happy to see the Boyertown Area Historical Society taking over the parade. Many businesses sponsored the parade to help the society make it all happen. It’s a Boyertown tradition that could not end. The society looks forward to bring it to you again next year and the next!

A parade is a huge undertaking but the society a wonderful group of member and many folks who are willing to work together as a team to make things happen. The Society runs many events for the community to enjoy. The society runs a disc golf event, a tractors show, the Belsnickel Craft show and the Historic Holiday Tour. There is a metal detecting event where they have over 100 participants who come from all over the country to detect in Pennsylvania, we get a chance to show off our wonderful community. Each of these are large events are brought to you by the Boyertown Area Historical Society for the community of Boyertown. Be sure to follow their Facebook page and website for upcoming events. Calendar year 2024 looks like a busy year again for the society to share history and fun with the community of Boyertown.

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